Re: useful analogy

From: The Ghost In The Machine (ewill_at_aurigae.athghost7038suus.net)
Date: 09/02/04 

Date: Thu, 02 Sep 2004 20:00:11 GMT

In comp.os.linux.advocacy, spike1@freenet.co.uk
<spike1@freenet.co.uk>
 wrote
on Wed, 1 Sep 2004 15:55:23 +0100
<rsn4hc.q69.ln@freenet.co.uk>:
> Jim Richardson <warlock@eskimo.com> wrote:
>> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>> Hash: SHA1
>
>> On 31 Aug 2004 12:37:46 -0700,
>> ziliath <ziliath@myway.com> wrote:
>>> bri1600bv@hotmail.com (brianb) wrote in message
>>>
>>>> I think the problem is cost.
>>>
>>> You can think it, but that won't make it true.
>>> The cost to manufacture ethanol fuel is $0.50 per gallon,
>>> and that comes from multiple sources.
>
>> And the cost to extract and refine gasoline? It *sells* for ~$2/gal here
>> in the states, but a lot of that is taxes, and some profit, not the
>> cost.
>
> $2 a *GALLON*?

Yes, far too expensive given that the world price of oil is
$44/bbl (and 1 barrel = 42 gallons). The price should be
$1.05/gallon. :-)

> And I bet you lot complain that it's too expensive...
> Spoilt little brats that you are.

Well, everyone needs 2 SUVs in their garage, don't we? DONT'T WE?! :-)

(Me, I drive a '96 Saturn LS. I'd drive a hydrid but
unless this thing drops dead I see no point in changing.
At $2/gal and 30 mi/gal, a car lasting 200,000 miles
(this one's got 120,000) costs $13,333 to operate, gaswise
(other expenses include oil, insurance, registration, etc;
the IRS allows a $0.33 or so tax deduction per mile, if the
car is provably used for business purposes exclusively --
I'd have to look).

Switching to an 80 mi/gal sipper would save $8,333 over
that same lifetime -- which is nice but I don't see
any point in switching *now*, just when it decides to
drag itself on its last legs back to the dealership for
a tradein. If gas goes to $6/gal ($40,000 => $15,000) I
might consider it -- if I'm still in a job at that point
because of the crushing depression that $6/gal would
cause here.)

> it's over 70p PER LITRE here. When the prices have gone up it's got very
> close to a POUND per litre.

70p/liter = $4.75/gal. Ooph. No wonder you Europeans drive such
tiny cars. :-)

(1 pound = $1.79. 1 gallon = 3.7854118 liter.)

ObLinux: So when is someone going to integrate Linux, GPS, WiFi,
          and something like Etak (or Yahoo! Maps)? :-)

ObQuack: Quork. 

-- 
#191, ewill3@earthlink.net
It's still legal to go .sigless.

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